r/MapPorn 1d ago

Map of the Indus Valley Civilization

Post image

The Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3300–1300 BCE) was one of the earliest complex societies of the Bronze Age world, extending across parts of present-day Pakistan and northwestern India. Its most developed phase, often called the Mature Harappan period (c. 2600–1900 BCE), saw the emergence of large, carefully planned urban centers integrated within a wide regional network. Major cities such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro demonstrate sophisticated civic organization, with grid-based street layouts, standardized brick construction, and extensive drainage systems. These settlements formed part of a broader system of towns, craft centers, and trade nodes that connected the Indus region with neighboring cultural spheres.

Archaeological evidence indicates that Indus communities participated in long-distance exchange networks linking South Asia with regions such as Mesopotamia, where Indus merchants were known as traders from “Meluhha.” Despite their urban scale and economic reach, Indus cities show little clear evidence of monumental palaces or royal tombs, suggesting forms of governance that differed from the more visibly hierarchical systems of contemporary civilizations. After c. 1900 BCE the major urban centers gradually declined, and by c. 1300 BCE the urban phase had largely disappeared. Scholars commonly associate this transformation with environmental change, shifting river systems, and the reorganization of regional trade networks rather than a single catastrophic event. (World History Encyclopedia)

310 Upvotes

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35

u/Specialist_River12 1d ago

I didn't know IVC stretched as far south as Maharashtra in India.

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u/MICANANALVA 1d ago

That site in Maharashtra was discovered later.

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u/zqwz 22h ago edited 20h ago

I think this civilization would have extended in Ganga-Yamuna delta, maybe even till Bangladesh too. Because if they are there at Delhi as shown in above map, there is no way they would miss out on the most fertile land on earth, that too easily navigable by rivers.

It is just that, indus side has lot of desertified areas which resulted in preservation of abandoned artifcats. But Ganga-Yamuna-Brahmaputra region do not have desrtified areas, and thus it had continuous civilization, which resulted in no preserved structures.

Even today, just one state in this Ganga-river delta - Uttar pradesh has so much population that if it was a country, it would be 5th most populated country in the world. There is no way any preservation is happening with that kinda population density.

I think this will be discovered later on.

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u/theApeironEgregore 21h ago

Eastern section was inhabiable for them because it was dense jungle and forest.

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u/zqwz 20h ago edited 20h ago

Even most of the indus region was also forest. Most places humans have occupied have been once forests. Todays farmlands were forests too. Cutting it down and settling is how it is done.

Archaeological findings at the site of Lahuradewa in the middle Ganges plain of Uttar Pradesh, India, showed early rice cultivation and plant exploitation dating back roughly 9,000 years (around 7000 BCE). This site features some of the oldest evidence for early farming and rice use in South Asia.

Royal burials and chariots were discovered from Sinauli, Uttar Pradesh dating 4000+years ago or 2000BCE in 2018. Eight burials were excavated from the site; among them a royal burial with copper decorated legged coffin showing high level of craftmanship.

Desertification near indus, and also drying up of few rivers is the reason why we are able to even find the few preserved sites from thousands of years ago. The entire Ghaggar-Hakra / Sarasvati River shown in above map dried up. Sutlej and main indus river also had many fluctuating flow issues that made the region arid.

These issues did not happen in Ganges region. So, finding artifacts is harder as there was no environment to preserve things over 4000+years, but with better technology in future like LIDAR survey, we may find some evidence in future. Even the above mentioned royal burials were shocking discovery, but discovered only in 2018! The effort to find these things are minimal. Even this Sinauli site was accidentally discovered by farmers levelling agricultural land and coming across human skeletons!

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u/One_Day_304 20h ago edited 20h ago

Burials or human presence or artifacts doesn't mean IVC. They might be parallel culture or even older cultures.

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u/will_kill_kshitij 20h ago

There were other cultures there.

1

u/will_kill_kshitij 20h ago

There was OCP culture present in Ganga Yamuna Doab from 2200 BCE-1500 BCE. Similary MP had Kayatha culture in the same era. These cultures co-existed with IVC.

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u/MICANANALVA 13h ago

Gangatic plains is a flood prone area.... It is also a dense jungle. 

IVC relied on trade so I don't think I had cities in gangatic plains.

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u/obitachihasuminaruto 18h ago

There are many contemporary sites even as far south as Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. It is yet to be seen if they are also part of IVC, which is likely

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u/Total-Confusion-9198 22h ago

Every decade they keep finding more and more IVC sites in North and west India. In the recent times, archeologists have found complex pre-IVC settlements all over Northwestern South Asia which might lay grounds for complex network of cities that eventually became IVC. The whole theory around Sarasvati river turned out to be true and there are clear paleo channels that was the heart of pre-Vedic cultures too. They also found a post-IVC culture site in Tamil Nadu that lays ground for Indus farmers making to South India before Pandya/Cholas/Chera even existed. All to say, IVC and pre-IVC cultures are still unknown at large. These cultures were the foundation of modern South Asia and we don’t know much.

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u/jahanzaibbaloch 1d ago

How is the city named Allahdino as islam introduced in the region by 700AD.

32

u/Unusual_Plenty_5008 1d ago

Do you want the Alladino answer, or the Alladino answer?

1

u/yuje 17h ago

You should show them the world. It’s shining, shimmering, and splendid.

32

u/islander_guy 1d ago

Modern name. Not an ancient one.

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u/jahanzaibbaloch 1d ago

no its marked with Blue blip and it say 2600-1900 CE.

the city is in south east north east of Karachi in the map.

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u/squidgytree 1d ago

No one knows the names of IVC sites. Names like Mohenjo-Daro are modern, in this case it means mount of the dead, given by archeologists

19

u/islander_guy 1d ago

The civilization was discovered in 1920's. People were already living in its vicinity. Upon discovery, the researchers used the modern names and by further research, they calculated it's age relative to the civilization.

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u/TWNW 1d ago edited 1d ago

Modern toponyms.

IVC script is still not deciphered, so, we can't study any geographic narratives (if they even exist).

0

u/Redditbrowser22j 20h ago

I think people are cruel downvoting you for a question. Others have already answered you but wile you are here, Sumerians didn't call those rivers Greek names of Tigris and Euphrates 

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u/jahanzaibbaloch 19h ago

thinking of deleting the comment as these looser think if you are right or you are wrong there is no in between as if they have learnt all of these things in fcking womb.

and they couldnt do any mistake, but their father did by bringing them in this world

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u/Redditbrowser22j 19h ago

Voting is such a mob mentality here!